San Diego-Go!

Don't think that our trip ended with Sea World. Oh no! That was just the beginning. Friday Blake had meetings until 5, so the itinerary listed beach/pool from wake up to 1, lunch at 1, then naps from 2-4 then it was time to pick Blake up. Well, Baby Jack decided to make the most of Leap Day. We put him down for a nap around 9 and he didn't wake up until 2:45. That left a lot of time for Max to go on a walk with Grandpa, on the elevator with Nanny, and for me and Ash to watch High School Musical 2. When Jack FINALLY woke up, we headed over to The Fish House for some yummy lunch.Before picking up Blake, we had enough time to go to The Cove and watch the seals. They stop here to rest on their migration south. The setting is beautiful and Max had fun walking out on the bridge with both Grandpa and Nanny. He even went far enough out with Grandpa, that a wave came and crashed up on them. After we picked up Blake, he headed to Guy Flemming Trail to watch the sunset. No trip is complete without Blake and his sunsets. Even after the sunset we stayed and hiked a little more at Nanny's request. Can you believe that? It was so beautiful right along the coast.

That night's activity was Belmont Park. I guess the beginning of March is the perfect time to go since there was NO ONE there, including workers. We had to go find people to start the rides for us. Everyone had fun going on the rides, except Nanny, who chickened out, and Grandpa who was too busy pushing Jack around in the stroller so he'd stay asleep. While we were waiting for the Giant Dipper we talked to one of the roller coaster's engineers and learned all about the hydraulic brakes. He even confided in us that the back is the best ride. Ash and I didn't listen and went straight to the front, but that daring Blake headed for the back. Fun!

Saturday morning Blake had meetings until 12, so again our agenda was pool/beach. This time Grandpa took Max for a swim and April came to visit. It was so much fun to see April. We can tell she really loves us since she had to leave work to see us which only means she has to stay that much later. Ahhh, the life of an auditor. And Baby Jack really loved April. She put him right to sleep. After we picked up Blake we stopped by the San Diego Temple to take some pictures. Max had become a pro at spotting the temple after all the times we drove by it. We played a few "guess how old that bride is" games and Max ran up and down the big hill without falling once. Then, it was on to a gourmet lunch--In N Out or Del Taco. You could pick. It doesn't get better than that. (I chose tacos. They remind me of my first outing with Blake. Taco Tuesday in Provo. Three tacos for $1. He didn't have enough cash for his hefty order, so I had to pay. Man, was I impressed! For my birthday present he paid me back. That should have been the first clue of his thriftiness.) Next on the itinerary was Cabrillo National Park. We just wish the weather would have been a little nicer than the overcastness we experienced. The views were amazing and there was even a little tide pool that would have been a lot of fun.


Then Ashley had the excellent idea of going to the Mormon Batallion Visitor's Center. Luckily we had the GPS and our cell phones to get us there. And Ashley's idea turned out even better than she originally thought when we walked in the doors and Ashley knew the Sister at this Visitor's Center from her mission. While the two were catching up the rest of us watched a very educational movie. Max even got to do some dressing up. He loved holding the big gun almsot as much as his dad. Blake had to be the one holding the gun for the group picture. Perfect idea Ashley! That night we met back up with April and braved the 45 minute wait for Old Spaghetti Factory, an April and Addi classic. And the wait flew by since they had a game room off to the side of the main entrance where Max was in heaven playing the car arcade game. After I ate all the bread, salad, ravioli, mizithra, and spumoni (it's especially fun to go to OSF with Ashley since she can't have the ice cream), we called it a night!

Our last day in San Diego, the only day we had a few hours to spend there, was the most beautiful day. We spent the morning in the pool. Even Baby Jack went swimming for the first time and absolutely loved it. Max, Blake, and I walked down to the beach while everyone else layed in the sun and had fun throwing rocks into the water. Then we stopped by the Fish House for one last yummy meal and started the drive home.

It was the perfect vacation and we're so happy that Grandpa, Nanny, and Ashley came with us. And hopefully reading how fun the trip was will convince the rest of the family to come with us next time!